Adam Grant | Why You Should Rethink A Lot More Than You Do

Building Safety

Creating psychological safety in the workplace is essential for fostering a culture of rethinking. Adam Grant explains that leaders should not only ask for feedback but also openly criticize themselves to build trust and respect. This approach has shown to significantly increase psychological safety within teams for extended periods 1.

When you criticize yourself, you show you can take it, and it makes people immediately less fearful about challenging you.

--- Adam Grant

Grant emphasizes that psychological safety is not about being nice or tolerant of everything but about ensuring that people feel respected and trusted enough to voice their opinions without fear of punishment 2.

   

Vulnerability

Normalizing vulnerability is a key component in establishing psychological safety. Adam Grant discusses how leaders can create an environment where admitting weaknesses becomes a natural behavior rather than a tactic. This openness encourages team members to hold each other accountable and fosters a culture of continuous improvement 3.

There's basically a normalization of vulnerability that happens where once I say, hey, I'm a work in progress, everybody on my team is more comfortable acknowledging that, too.

--- Adam Grant

Grant notes that when leaders genuinely share their areas for growth, it changes the emotional experience of giving and receiving feedback, making it feel more like coaching than judgment 3.